JeM commander killed in Jammu and Kashmir, Army jawans also die

The fighting broke out at Handew after a joint team of the Army's 44 Rashtriya Rifles, J&K police's counterinsurgency SOG and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation on Thursday afternoon.

Srinagar: A top Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) commander is among three militants killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's southern Pulwama district early Thursday. The police have identified him as Khalid Bhai, a Pakistani national. A local resident and an Army jawan also died.

Two Army soldiers and a civilian were injured. Three more militants were killed and an Army soldier was injured in another incident in Handew area of Shopian district on Thursday.

The fighting broke out at Handew after a joint team of the Army's 44 Rashtriya Rifles, J&K police's counterinsurgency SOG and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a fierce gun battle between militants and security forces is raging in woods of Kandi area of frontier Kupwara district. SSP Kupwara Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar said that fighting broke out after a joint team of Army's 28 and 47 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police's counterinsurgency SOG launched a cordon-and-search operation at Portel Nad and Razdan Nad - upper reaches of Kandi connecting Lolab forests.